Australia's security challenges cannot be borne by the Department of Defence and armed forces alone. Australian governments have failed to deliver a comprehensive approach to national security. This report examines the government’s national security spending as a whole and reviews the attention given to the nation’s preparedness and resilience. It provides eight recommendations.

Australia faces increasing threats from natural disasters, pandemics and geopolitical tensions, necessitating robust preparedness mechanisms. This report recommends a road map of immediate, near-term and longer-term initiatives that the Australian Government should embrace. The report outlines building an effective national preparedness system, and the capabilities and capacities needed for it, using Finland as an exemplar.

Trust in government and science have been shown to be important factors in crises. This article outlines the critical knowledge gaps in understanding the roles of trust, social capital and resilience in balancing future pandemic public health restrictions with disease transmission and mortality, and the key role these factors may play in future pandemic preparedness.

Climate disasters, such as floods, cyclones, and bushfires, present risks to mental health. This article finds that mental health effects became more severe with successive disasters. It proposes that multiple disaster exposures must be urgently considered in public health, welfare and disaster services.

Natural disasters like bushfires, floods and cyclones aren’t rare or unpredictable. They’re inevitable and should be planned and budgeted for accordingly. But currently, the federal budget only includes disaster recovery spending for events that have already happened. This paper argues that estimated future disaster costs should be included in existing budget lines.